Autonomous mobile robot platform supported by intelligent information infrastructure

This paper presents the development of a mobile robot platform on which various kind of applications can be installed. We aim at an object-level platform that can behave autonomously after a goal is given. In order to realize it, the classical SMPA model (sense-model-plan-action framework) is reviewed and restructured from the viewpoint of realtime control. Intelligent information infrastructure composed of distributed TV cameras, network, computing servers and etc., is configured as an external system to implement realtime environment recognition, global planning and navigation. By utilizing the infrastructure, robot bodies become very simple and inexpensive. On the developed platform, a delivery system is built, and the reliability, usability and versatility of the proposed approach are verified experimentally.